Presently, an interactive navigation system displays images taken from a fleet of specially adapted cars. Areas not accessible by car, like pedestrian areas, narrow streets, alleys and ski resorts, are sometimes covered by tricycles or snowmobiles. These vehicles typically use multiple directional cameras for 360° views at a standard height, GPS units for positioning and laser range scanners for the measuring location in the front of the vehicle.
Where available, navigation images can appear after zooming in beyond the highest zooming level in maps and satellite images, and also by dragging a “pegman” icon onto a location on a map. A user can select the horizontal and vertical viewing direction and the zoom level can be selected. A solid or broken line in the photo shows the approximate path followed by the camera car, and arrows link to the next photo in each direction. At junctions and crossings of camera car routes, more arrows are shown.
However, even the use of vehicles such as tricycles or snowmobiles does not offer access to areas where vehicular travel is difficult, such as in rugged areas or areas where roads are not present.